Wasted Days

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

America and Back

Recently I had an opportunity to drive cross country with Kimberly. It was time for the Volvo (Bandit) to take up residence with her in LA and she wanted a copilot/fire starter/stupid roadside attraction pointer-outer to make the trek with her. As I knew it would, it turned out to be an amazing trip. Let's take a look a day one.

Day 1, Tabernacle, NJ - Oak Ridge, TN...670 miles6:30 am. we figured sprinkling a little "Double Quick Lucky Powder" on the dash couldn't hurt.just because we were on vaca, it didn't mean the business was. pretty sure there was still a hitch on the side from the pony expressbreakfast/leg stretcher in Harrisonburg, VA. my goal was to absorb as much small town Americana on this trip as possible. breakfast on the lawn of a civil war memorial was a good start.the Natural Bridge. touristy but impressive (the authentic Indian village replica had me scanning the treeline!)George Washington carved his initials here when surveyed the bridge as a young man.the price of admission assured that we would be hiking to the falls at the end of the trailwhen the sign says "FOAMHENGE" you pull over, no questions askedas far as I'm concerned, when it comes to road side attractions, the weirder the better"Look like you're about to be sacrificed."much like the Foamhenge sign, this gateway had me pulling the E brakeit was like a graveyard for every creature I scribbled in the margin of my 6th grade english notesfor a second (actually more like a few weeks) I thought I had stumbled upon some ruins of the lost city. Intense research proved otherwise.ditched the highway to hit some back roads through Jefferson National Forest. turned out to be a memorable stretch of blacktop.midnight snack/dinner/picnic before crawling in the body bag for the evening

Day 2, Oak Ridge, TN - Sallisaw, OK...680 milesearly morning, curbside hygiene in Nashvillethe streets weren't exactly jumping at 7:30 ammandatory stop at Graceland. (we avoided many headaches by simply parking in the neighborhood next door)another Memphis stop, the big building on the right is the hotel from this Jarmusch classic. Sun Records was just across the street.crossed over the Mississippi and it was hello Arkansas!we doubled back right over the bridge in hopes to dip our feet in the Mighty Miss' but we just ended up getting lost under some train tracksI was excited to drive through the Ozarks but it was dark by the time we entered them. late night spot check on the Trail of Tearsheadlamps were mandatory by the time we reached Brushy Lake

Day 3, Sallisaw, OK - Logan, NM...519 milesback in downtown Sallisaw, 6:53 amthis day's route choice was obviousturned out to be kinda janky but it definitely warranted a pull overjust up the roadI honestly considered backtracking the rest of the trip feeling I should have gone with a backside boneless. I've definitely exhausted crails as my "go-to trick in a pinch".coffins ride smoother on a dead roadThe Devil's Rope Museum far exceeded my expectations. Never knew barbed wire had such an interesting history. Brian's head would have exploded. Anybody wanna start a band called WAR WIRE?already have the name for first 7"I wish I'd taken more pics of the inside just to show how expansive and detailed it was. Here's a snap from their Route 66 room.just realized you can't really see it in this pic but this is the Leaning Tower of TexasCadillac Ranch, Amarilloa few miles eastward, I made sure to pick up some paint so we could leave our markThis guy was also going cross countryobviously I couldn't be stingy with the paint. I mean if ya gotta get up, you gotta get upof course I had to give my shout outsa little farther down Route 66suddenly I had to release my emotions. It was all just too beautiful.shoulda used the tripodwhich way to Ute Lake?

Day 4, Logan, NM - Denver, CO...642 milesif anybody lost a 16 lb. Brunswick in Logan, NM don't worry, it was safe and sound under my left kidney all night'twas brisk that morningafter breakfast on Central Ave. in Albuquerque, it was time to get dropped off, gear up and hit a spot I've been wanting to skate since '91.Indian School Ditch. If you're a skateboarder, you just need to hit this. Simple as that. Browse the internet for history and more interesting pictures than mine.off to DenverJeremy and Lisa are hands down 2 of the most gracious hosts. Even though they had a soccer game the night we arrived, the cheesy enchiladas (2 styles to pick from) were waiting for us in the oven. plates, utensils, towels and bedding were all laid out.Jer and I discussed possible routes before we headed out the next morning and I honestly couldn't tell who was more excited for the trip. See you guys in December. (ps where's my Suicidal cd?)

Day 5, Denver, CO - Moab, UT...354 milessupply run at the Arvada, CO surplus store. I coulda spent a week in there.looking east...directly eastentering Glenwood Canyon on I-70in Grand Junction we opted to take the Colorado National Monument drive. too many vistas to keep track ofI'd break out the sketchbookwhenever I felt inspired the drive to Moab was dope. secret government landing strips where I'm positive UFOs landed. Arches was full so we posted up at Jay Cee just down the road. setting up in the dark once again.who's hungry?

Day 6, Moab, UT - Hurricane, UT...340 milesgood morning. my dad recently told me I should just go as a homeless person for Halloweensince it was pitch black when we parked the car and set up camp it was a pleasant surprise to wake up to this view out the front dooroff to Arches which was just down the roadBalancing Rockpondering our significanceall angles had to be documented. when mom asks me what I want for Christmas this year I'll finally have an answer.turret archthe north and south windowsthe Fiery FurnaceSandy Hollow in Utah's southwest corner for the last night in the tent. the ranger at the gate said we looked like we could handle the "primitive camping" sectionhorrible viewsthe tent was up so I retired to the kitchen4 star cuisine. pass the mustard pack.

Day 7, Hurricane, UT - Los Angeles, CA...400 milesmorning view from the terraceat least my teeth were cleanSin City boundthe neon sign boneyard. so sick. I highly recommend the tour. just as a disclaimer, not that you would but, please don't use these pics for anything other than viewing. (had to sign a waiver to take pics)the ghost town of Goodsprings, NVno wonder I couldn't get an accurate F-stop reading, forgot to set it to sepia!I broke into the building in the foreground and found an old, dusty trunk. looked like it hadn't been opened in decades. after some bashing with a pick axe I found I finally broke the lock. buried under blankets and old jackets I came across an old photo album. I pulled up a crate, blew the dust off, opened the cover and could not believe what I saw.looking back at the trusty steed on a piss break. some great photographers once showed me the power of black & whitemy rolls of film from LA didn't come out so I only have a few pics (like you care by this point anyway) mandatory first stop!Griffith observatorythe views were amazing!another fave filming locationgee, take a guessthen cuz I'm a jerk off I requested a pic standing inside the Swampview from the chopper padlast day, very top of Griffith Park. I squinted and saw Billy Zane buying raw milk at the Hollywood Farmer's Market and Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick brunchinggreat fuckin' trip! and with that I bid you adieu.